Hey Nomads! Quick one for you ~ and I promise it's not the tired advice you've heard a hundred times. No "start freelancing," no "teach English at 4am," no dropshipping nonsense. Here's the thing almost nobody in our world connects: You already know how to house sit for free. There's a whole quiet market that will pay you $1,000–$2,500 a month to do the exact same thing. Wait — people get PAID to house sit? Yes. We use platforms like TrustedHousesitters to swap our pet-and-plant care for free stays. Beautiful. But that's the entry level. One rung up is paid property caretaking — looking after estates, ranches, farms, vacation homes, retreat centers, even private islands while the owners are away. Same skills you already have. The owner just hands you a check on top of the free roof. The numbers are real, not hype: - Longer caretaking commitments (a month or more) commonly pay $500 to $2,500+ on top of free housing. - The average U.S. live-in property caretaker earns around $3,300/month. - Gigs exist in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and dozens of countries. Your $1,000/month is sitting on the low end of this. That's how doable it is. HERE'S THE TOOL: Because the free platforms market themselves loudly, and the paid world is old-school and quiet. The main hub, The Caretaker Gazette, has been matching caretakers with owners since 1983 — it's a subscription newsletter, not a slick app. Most people never find it because they're not looking past the free swap. That gap is your opportunity, love. How to actually start (this week) 1. Lead with the experience you already have. Every free sit you've done is a paid-caretaking résumé. Pull your TrustedHousesitters reviews into a one-page "caretaker profile." 2. Get on the paid lists. Subscribe to The Caretaker Gazette. Search "live-in property caretaker" on Jooble, SimplyHired, and Indeed — paid roles post there constantly. 3. Target absentee owners. Snowbirds, second-home owners, expats who kept a property back home. They need someone trustworthy on-site for months — that's you. 4. Price it. Start at $1,000/month plus free housing for a longer estate or vacation-home sit. You are not "lucky to be there." You are the security, the maintenance, and the peace of mind. Charge like it. 5. Stack it. Pair a paid caretaking month with your normal slow-travel rhythm. One good gig a quarter changes your whole budget.

After missed connections, over sold planes, 36 hours of traveling --> we made it. Was it worth it? Damn right! London is a pretty cool spot, and even though we're only a full 24 hours into it ~ we're having the time of our lives. Today looked like: - Coffee and Breaky - Tour the British Musuem (did you know The British Museum's collection actually totals around 8 million objects, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive in existence) - High Tea on the River Thames (OMG everyone must do this at least once) - Tower of London, Big Ben and Parliment - Walking across the London Bridge - Home to work and meet w/ clients (on the West Coast) - Dinner at 11pm (like a real European) So, my question for tonight ~ if you had someone deposit a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go? and if you've been to London and you have recommendations - let us know!

HERE IS WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT WHO ELSE IS ON THAT NETWORK AND HOW TO STAY SAFE. Two years of house sitting. New WiFi password on a little card at every single home. And we never once asked — who else is on this network? Until San José, Costa Rica changed that for us. Turns out when you connect to a homeowner's WiFi you're also connecting alongside their smart TV, security cameras, previous house sitters, the neighbour who got the password two years ago — and a router that's likely logging every website your devices visit. We got a VPN that same week. Never sat without one since. The quick fix: Get NordVPN or ProtonVPN, then immediately turn on two settings most people miss — Kill Switch (cuts your internet if VPN drops so nothing leaks) and Auto-Connect (VPN connects before anything loads on any new network). Then ask every homeowner to set up a guest network — separate lane for your devices, separate lane for theirs. Five minutes. Game changer. Save this checklist. Run it every time you arrive somewhere new: ☐ Ask homeowner about setting up a guest network ☐ Connect VPN before doing anything else online ☐ Confirm Kill Switch is on — all devices ☐ Confirm Auto-Connect is on — all devices ☐ Note where smart speakers are located ☐ Update all devices if updates are waiting ☐ Use phone hotspot for banking and sensitive work ☐ Run a DNS leak test at dnsleaktest.com Inspired by the amazing work of RECLAIM™ — a free digital privacy movement. Worth following: thereclaimmovement.substack.com Not yet on TrustedHouseSitters? Grab 25% off right here. Hope this finds you surfing the web safely and your information protected Brandi + Sandra 🖤

Here's the thing about traveling full-time — you think you've done your homework. You've got your flights, your accommodation, your itinerary sorted. And then something comes along that you had NO idea was even a thing. That's what happened to me when a friend sent me this REEL about EES. The EU's new Entry/Exit System. It went fully live on April 10, 2026. And if you're a non-EU traveler (yes, us Americans), every time you enter the Schengen Area, you now get biometrically registered — fingerprints, face scan, passport data. Digital record of every entry and exit. Passport stamps are gone. This is the new reality. Now here's where it gets real. People are waiting UP TO 6 HOURS in Portugal right now because they showed up with no idea this was happening. Long lines at border control, confused travelers, delayed flights. It's a mess for the people who didn't know. (This was almost us!) But here's what I know — and now you know too. There's an official EU app called "Travel to Europe" (free, App Store + Google Play — do NOT download any version that charges you, those are fakes). You can pre-register up to 72 hours before you land — scan your passport, take a selfie, answer a few questions. When you arrive, your data is already in the system. You still go through border control, but you move through significantly faster. That's it. That's the hack. Download the app. Do it before you fly. A few other things that came up that you should know: 🇬🇧 If you're routing through London — London is NOT Schengen. It's a completely separate border. And as of February 25, 2026, Americans need a UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to enter. It's £20, takes 10 minutes to apply for, valid 2 years. Don't skip this or you could be denied boarding. (see my POST earlier last week to learn more about this!)

Welcome to The Boujee Nomads Community! 🦋 You are now leaving the Matrix! We are SO glad you're here. Before you dive in, let us give you a quick tour so you know exactly where to go and what to expect. Here's how this space is set up: 🍳 The Kitchen This is YOUR space. Share your wins, ask your questions, introduce yourself, tell us where you're at in your journey. No question is too small and no win is too big. This is where the magic happens. 🏡 House Sitter Academy Everything you need to know about house sitting — tips, platform updates, open opportunities, and how to land your first (or next) sit. We'll be dropping content here regularly. 🧠 Mindset Because the biggest thing standing between you and the life you want usually isn't logistics — it's what's going on in your head. This is where we tackle that. ✈️ Travel Tips Real, practical travel advice from women who are actually doing this. Not theoretical, not Pinterest perfect — real. 💰 Money Talk The financial conversations most communities won't have. Budget breakdowns, money mindset, and the real numbers behind nomadic living. Start here: Head to The Kitchen, drop an intro and tell us — where are you right now in your journey and what brought you here? We read everything. We're so glad you found us. — Brandi & Sandra 🦋